August 11, 2018 4:24pm EDTAugust 11, 2018 4:24pm EDTBasketball, Los Angeles Lakers, English, Kobe Bryant, NBA, NOPOPUP“To be an effective leader, you have to be a really good listener and not to what’s being said but to what’s not being said," Bryant said.Kobe Bryant(Getty Images)

“To be an effective leader, you have to be a really good listener and not to what’s being said but to what’s not being said. You have to be really observant. That was a big transition for me. I went from being a scorer and a floor general to now — with Pau (Gasol) and Lamar (Odom) trying to win other championships — to being a leader, and that meant putting others first. That means not worrying about, are you in rhythm? Are you playing well in this game. Are you ready to go? To being, are they ready? What can I do to help them be ready? Right?

“That’s the big transition to me. You’ve got to observe them, because they all have things they want to accomplish as individuals. And as a leader, you’re like, ‘OK, what are those things, and how can I help them accomplish that within the system and structure that we are trying to do collectively?'”

It was clear the Alabama players and coaches enjoyed Bryant's appearance based on their social media posts after the speech.